Algal blooms confirmed at three Western New York locations

Toxic blue-green algal blooms were spotted on two lakes and a reservoir in Western New York, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s weekly update released Friday.

Chautauqua Lake returned to the list after an absence of a couple of weeks. A large localized blue-green algal bloom spotted Wednesday was confirmed by a laboratory sample, according to the DEC report. The last bloom was reported July 7.

The agency also added the Allegheny Reservoir in Cattaraugus County, where a small localized bloom was confirmed.

Java Lake in Wyoming County was also added to the list after a small localized bloom was identified.

In all, 26 waterbodies in the state are on the list, many of which are on Long Island or downstate.

Exposure to toxic algae can result in liver, nerve or skin damage to humans and animals.

Meanwhile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this week reported the first toxic algal blooms on Lake Erie in the traditionally algal-prone areas of western Ohio.

Friday, NOAA reported the bloom near the Maumee River near Toledo had not “expanded,” but that levels of toxic microcystins in the water nearby prompted officials to issue a “recreational public health advisory.”

Another “persistent bloom” was also detected in Sandusky Bay, NOAA reported.